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Statement from the Penn State Alumni Association

This is a deeply troubling time for Penn State and the Penn State Alumni Association. The allegations against a former assistant football coach on charges of child sexual abuse and the subsequent perjury allegations against the director of athletics and the interim vice president for business and finance have shaken the University community profoundly and have resulted in these two University officials stepping down.

The Alumni Association has received e-mails, social network postings, and calls from alumni expressing their deep concern regarding the charges—and we share those concerns. All alumni communications are being acknowledged and forwarded to multiple members of the University administration.

Certainly the officers and staff of the Alumni Association are greatly concerned about the children who are said to be involved and understand we have a duty to keep them safe.

The Alumni Association supports the University’s Board of Trustees, which met Sunday night, Nov. 6, and announced steps designed to increase the safety and security of all University facilities and to make changes to promote insufficient procedures. The chair of the Board of Trustees will:

Appoint a task force to engage external legal counsel to conduct an independent review of the University’s policies and procedures related to the protection of children. This action is not intended to interfere with the ongoing judicial process.

Publicize the findings of the independent review.

Review police reporting protocols with administrators.

Enhance educational programming around such topics.

Going forward, the Alumni Association will continue to support the University and the Board of Trustees in efforts to reinforce that Penn State remains committed to honesty, integrity, and the ideals expressed in our Alma Mater.

To paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of higher education’s death have been an exaggeration. American universities produce more research and relevant knowledge for the world at large than any other institutions I know of. Tuition may be too damn high, but over the long-run, undergraduate degrees are definitely worth the cost. But Penn State could be so much more. It used to be, I think.